Strategic alliances allow companies to achieve goals that single organizations cannot accomplish alone. They involve cooperative relationships between independent organizations to mutually benefit as long as it is economically viable. Alliances can help companies reduce costs, gain access to new technologies and markets, and improve research efforts. However, they also come with coordination challenges and less profitability than mergers. The document outlines the meaning, need, stages of formation, types, advantages, disadvantages and failure reasons for strategic alliances between organizations.